Posts Categorized: Elementary II

It has been a pleasure working with the kindergarten, upper and lower elementary art students at MSH. The Montessori-method proves to encourage creative exploration and divergent thinking skills. This assertion has never been more apparent to me, than when facilitating the art classes here at MSH. Witnessing student’s degree of creative focus and aesthetic awareness has been greatly inspiring.

It is bittersweet to announce that at this juncture, I have accepted a full-time educational research role and will have to cut my time with the art students at MSH short. I am truly grateful for the time I was able to spend, and would like to thank parents and teachers for sharing your children.

It has been a lovely artful experience, and the students have accomplished much in the areas of visual representation. Some of the concepts implemented include, but are not limited to; conceptualizing artistic design, organizing and formatting various forms of media, analyzing and interpreting art, responding to and evaluating art. For more information on visual art standards you can visit the National Art Education Association website.

I will still be collecting art work from students that wish to submit work for the Endangered Species Youth Art Contest sponsored by The Endangered Species Coalition (ESC). I will need any completed work as well as a signed permission slips by March 1st in order to submit art to be considered for the contest. Thank you to all the teachers for helping with research of the many endangered species currently on the list. For more information on the ESC or the Endangered Species Youth Art Contest, you can visit their website.

As a brief introduction for those parents who do not know me: my name is Laticia Hequembourg, my daughter Harper attends kindergarten at MSH (she is in Shree and Leela’s class). Teaching and creating art are among my greatest passions in life. I hold a PhD in adult education from Auburn University. My dissertation explored creativity generation and the creative process in adult learners. I also hold a master’s of art education from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, and a BA in studio art with a concentration in sculpture from The State University of New York in Potsdam, New York. I have taught for the last few years as an adjunct professor in the fine art departments at both Alabama A and M University and Calhoun Community College.

This year at MSH I teach two kindergarten art classes, and both the lower and upper elementary art classes. The kindergarten art curriculum explores the basics of creating art through the inspiration of a variety of art forms and disciplines. Thus far we have found inspiration for our paper cut outs through the literary work of Shel Silverstein. We have also concentrated on learning about the elements of art with the construction of a visual chart that highlights both color and texture. This week we will be weaving paper to create work mats and then moving along to watercolor.

Both lower and upper elementary have been concentrating on the fundamentals and basic compositional components of drawing. They are currently working on self- portraits in oil pastel. In the next few weeks to come we will be transitioning into painting and focusing on color theory.

Also, as a note to all parents: I wanted to take a moment to inform parents that I will be utilizing a website called Artsonia (www.artsonia.com). Artsonia is a free online digital portfolio and student art gallery dedicated to promoting the visual arts curriculum in schools worldwide. I will e-mail parents individually with a password so that you can log on and view your child’s work throughout the year (you can also upload artwork yourself). This is a great way to share work with friends and family, keep a digital record of creative development, and the website offers fun keepsakes (these make excellent personalized gifts) with your child’s work, with 20% of sales going directly to the participating school’s art program. Keep a look out for more information regarding log-in details.

Thanks in advance for all of your support, if you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Pause, sit down, and think about your childhood. What comes to mind? Do you think about playing with your friends outside? Riding your bike or building forts for hours? Enjoying board games with your family? Now, compare those images to what life is like today. What differences do you see?

We spend so much time plugged into computers these days. They’re tiny, hand-held, and convenient little devices. While they have a lot of pros, they also have a lot of cons. The average eight-year-old spends at least two hours each day plugged into some kind of electronic device. That’s fourteen hours a week! So, think about how much time we as adults spend plugged in. It’s kind of scary.

The Upper Elementary Class recently had the opportunity to unplug and get out. We took a three day trip to Nature’s Classroom in Mentone, AL, and it was wonderful! Cell phone and internet reception were spotty at best, and there were no televisions. The children truly got back to nature, explored relationships with each other and themselves. They hiked, played games cooperatively, and worked as a team to build a geodome and a rope bridge – just to name a few things. The most technology most of them used were disposable cameras. It was joyful and peaceful!

Fall is great time to get outside – the weather is crisp and the scenery is beautiful! Here are some ideas for getting out and unplugging with your family:

The Annual MSH Fall Festival

Come to the new Hampton Cove Campus on Friday, October 30th, 5 – 7 p.m. for games, fun, and a chili supper!

“Down on the Farm” at Gullion Farms in Somerville, AL

The Lower Elementary Class will be taking a field trip here this month. The children will have the opportunity to fish, milk a cow, ride a pony, pick a pumpkin, and much more. Here’s a link to their website: http://www.gullionfarms.com/

There are so many wonderful state parks near and far! Whether you’re into hiking, picnicking, or looking for an overnight getaway you’re sure to find something to fit your family. Take a look at their website: http://www.alapark.com/

During the months of January and February, the Elementary II students learned about and honored a variety of civil rights events and activists. They expressed their own thoughts and feelings about this pivotal time in our nation’s history and had the opportunity to visit with Mr. Sonny Hereford (one of the first children to integrate in the Huntsville City School System). Below are some of the thoughts and quotes from the children and their journal entries:

“I would help Martin Luther King, Jr. I would walk and not ride the bus. I would join the bus boycott. They were a huge help for Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement.” H.P., 3rd grade

“I would be in the marches during the civil rights movement. In the marches you walk to the city holding signs. There might be some signs that say ‘freedom’ or ‘This is not fair.’ That is why I want to be in the marches.” E.M., 3rd grade

“Prior to 1954, segregation in schools was acceptable in the United States. In 1954, Brown v. the Board of Education ruled out segregation. It was illegal to segregate schools.

On November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges went to William Frantz Elementary. She did not know how the day would be. An angry mob met her. They shouted cruel and horrid things to Ruby as she arrived…” N.R., 5th grade

Our studies in class sparked individual interest in several of the children. They have been checking out books about Rosa Parks, The March on Washington, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The children’s inquisitiveness has sparked many great classroom discussions. Educating future generations about peace, positivity, and proactiveness is the best way to extinguish adversity in the future.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Have cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already wrapping up another school year! I’ve enjoyed working with and getting to know all of the children, and I look forward to seeing many of them again next year. In math, we are busy tying up our study of fractions (and some geometry). The children have enjoyed using the Montessori Fraction Circles, fraction bars, and the Geometry Box (aka “the box of sticks”). We have found the new fraction command cards from the Houston Montessori Center to be extremely valuable!

Sci-Quest has continued to be a favorite activity every-other Wednesday. During their most recent visit the children had the opportunity to be engineers and build their own catapults. The final visit from Sci-Quest promises to be awesome, too. We will be dissecting a shark! In the classroom, we’ve been watching our ladybugs grow and recording our observations. It has been wonderful for the children to witness complete metamorphosis first-hand, while learning about the differences between complete and incomplete metamorphosis.

We have a few more notable dates coming up this month:

*May 12th – 16th the 3rd and 4th graders will be taking the SAT. More information about testing details for the 3rd-4th graders will be coming soon.

*May 12th the 2nd graders will be participating in the strawberry picking field trip to Brown’s Farm.

*The Elementary Bridging Ceremony will be May 20th at 2:00 p.m. The 3rd graders will be bridging from Lower Elementary to Upper Elementary, and all of the children will be performing a song. Everyone is invited to come enjoy the performance and a small reception.

*Field Day is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21st. Be on the look out for more information as the date approaches!

*Finally, the last day of school and our picnic at McGucken Park is May 23rd.

Thank you so much to all of the parents who have helped out this year by volunteering in the classroom, chaperoning, donating materials, etc… This year would not have been as successful without you!